Wrapping machine



Oct. 19, 1943. J. HEXTER ET Al. 2,332,316

v WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan.. 1s, 1941 6 sheets-sheen 1 IN VEN TOHS JOSEPH HEXTER W/L L MME. Al/HAM ATTORNEY S Oct. 19, 1943. .J. HEXTER ETAL. 2,332,316

WRAPPING MACHINE vimm Jan. 13, 1941 e sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS WML/4M E. A/V

. S BY CMTuNIQM/UVMMJ A TT ORNE YS JOSEPH HEX T E l? /MM Oct. 19, 1943.

J. HExTl-:R ET AL 2,332,316

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1941 6 Sheets-Shea?l 5 TT ORNE Y S Oct. 19, 1943. J. HExTER TAL 2,332,316

WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 1s, 1941 e sheets-sheet 4 JOSEPH HEXTE ATTORNEY S Oct. 19, 1943.

FIG. 9.

J. HEXTER ET AL WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Jan. 13, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 19, 1943 UNITED sTATEs PATENT voFElcE WRAPPING MACHINE Joseph Hexter and William E. Lanham, Atlanta, Ga., assignors to Columbia Baking Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Delaware Application January 13, 1941, Serial No. 374,146

. Y 7 claims. This invention relates generally to wrapping machinery and specifically to improvements in such machines to enable them to wrap and seal twin packages.

An object of this invention is to simultaneously convey a pair of half-loaves or other articles through suitable duplex mechanisms for enveloping said half-loaves in individual wrappers and enclosing the ends thereof for heat sealing and delivery in pairs. An incidental object is to make the operation or functioning of the mechanism automatic so as to require no attention from the operator beyond seeing that the apparatus is kept supplied with wrapping material and articles to be wrapped.

Another object of this invention is to produce a "tWo-in-one package by enclosing the aforementioned pairs of wrapped packages within a common outer wrapper and enfolding the."'ends for heat sealing. I'

A further object of this invention is to provide two pairs of movable tucker blades on the elevator table and to feed in unison one of a pair of webs between each pair of tucker blades and to tuck in the ends of the wrappers Apartly enfolded around the articles during transfer from the con-v veyor to the elevator table. Also cooperating with each pair of tucker blades are back tension plates yieldingly mounted to compensate independently of each other for variations in widths of the pairs of articles transferred to the elevator table. Two pairs of retaining .fingers also function to engage the front of the half-loaves and hold them securely in position as the elevator table rises to its horizontal station.

A further object is to provide guide-ways so constructed as to permit adjustment in width to accommodate pairs of articles varying in that dimension.

A further object is to provide novel construction of the compound pushers for simultaneously transferring successive pairs of articles from the transverse conveyor to the elevator table.

A still further object is to provide heat sealing means and cooling, means for rapidly and efiiciently binding together all folded ends of. the wrappers, on the half-loaves.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view diagram disclosing the sequence of operations performed upon the loaves to be wrapped.

loaves progress. r

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine emf bodying a slicer, half-loaf separator, and halfloai wrapping machine.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation along lines 4-4 of Figs. 5 and 6, showing the half-loaf wrapping machine partly broken away to reveal certain mechanisms andthe hot and cold sealing units leading to the final outer wrapping machine which is only partially illustrated.

'- Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 3.'

Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 4 showing only the cold sealing units and the conveyor therefrom to the nal outer wrapping machine, which is only partially illustrated.

Fig. 'Tis a transverse vertical section on'lines 1-1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section on lines 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan section on lines 9-9 of Fig. 4 illustrating the tucking and folding blades and the hot sealing means.

Fig. 10 is a transverse vertical section onlines Ill- I0 of Fig. 9.

Referring now to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the sequence of operations upon the loaf will be described. The unsliced loaf A is placed upon conveyor I0 and passes through the machine I2 to emerge either as two half-loaves or as a sliced loaf B,

. loaves of bread.

depending upon the construction of the machine I2, to be carried away on conveyor I 4 and separated by laterally diverging guide-Ways into two half-loaves, preferably sliced as shown at C. These are then transferred in pairs to transverse conveyor I6 and delivered to the duplex wrapping machine I8 where the half-loaves are individually wrapped in waxed paper or other suitable material as shown at D. Conveyor 20 moves the wrapped half-loaves D between laterally converging guide-ways thus uniting the wrapped halfloaves, as shown at E, prior to passing onto transverse conveyor 22 for delivery to wrapping machine 24 where a pair of individually wrapped half-loaves are enclosed in a common outer wrapper, as shown at F, and delivered therefrom by conveyor 26. V

The apparatus for carrying out the operations just described, produces a two-in-one package that has been eectively wrapped and at a high productive rate per unit of time.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings is one form the apparatus would take for wrapping sliced hali- Referring now particularly to Figs. 3, 5 and 8, the conveyor I0 carries the loaf to a slicing machine I2 of the desired construction arranged or adjusted to produce slices of the desired thickness. As the sliced loaf emerges from the slicing machine, it is deposited and transported in spaced relationship to succeeding half-loaves upon a continuously driven conveyor I4 consisting of endless parallel chains 28 connected by uniformly spaced bar nights 80 travelling over conveyor table-top 32 supported by frame 84. Suspended above the conveyor nights 80 are two pairs of diverging guide-ways 88 and 88 uniting to form a central partition or blade 40 at the slicer |2 to function as a separator to divide the sliced loaf into two halves, the diverging guides 88, 88 en'ecting a further separation of the two half-loaves for delivery to a transverse conveyor I 8. The guide-ways 86, 88 are conveniently suspended from frames 42 and mounted in such manner as to be adjustable horizontally by means of wing-bolts 44 (Fig. 8) to align the blade 40 with a cut through the loaf.

The pair of separated half-loaves are now transferred to spaced nights 48, 48 of transverse conveyor |6 which intermittently carries them in spaced relationship to the duplex wrapping machine |8. Pusher anns 50 carried by shaft 82 are oscillated in unison through linkage 54 actuated by suitable mechanism not shown. The movement of arms 50 is so timed that they deliver a pair of half-loaves simultaneously to conveyor I6 as nights 46 and 48 are at rest ready to receive the half-loaves. Conveyor I8 consists of two driven parallel chains 88 and I8 which are adinstable in their longitudinal relationship, and since the nights 48 are carried by one chain and the nights 48 by the other chain, it is possible to adjust the distance between the pairs of nights 48, 48 to accommodate various lengths of halfloaves or other articles.

The pair of half-loaves carried by transverse conveyor I8 come to rest at a transfer station within duplex wrapping machine |8 as illustrated on Fig. 4. At this point, in alignment with the pair of spaced half-loaves, is a pair of pusher plates 80 carried by a pair of parallel plungers 82 mounted in brackets 64 and connected for simultaneous reciprocation by cross-head 80 to linkage 88 and rock shaft 69 actuated by a suitable cam (not shown). The pusher plates 60 pass between nights 4S, 48 to transfer the pair of halfloaves onto elevator table 10 which is swung around its supporting shaft 12 to a horizontal position by link 14 operated by a suitable cam (not shown).

Brackets 16 support a pair of rolls 18 of waxed paper or other desirable wrapping material to provide two parallel webs of paper 80-one for each half-loaf wrapping position. The webfeeds, not illustrated in detail, may be of any suitable type, for example the one disclosed in Patent No. 1,626,409, issued April 26, 1927, to G. W. Gwinn.

The webs 80 are guided through suitable rollers to a position where their loose ends are disposed at the transfer station between the side of the transverse conveyor I8 and the edge of elevator table 10 as shown in Fig. 4. As the halfloaves are transferred onto the elevator table 10, they engage `the depending portions 82 of the webs 80 and draw them along, thus causing the webs to become partly wrapped around the halfvloaves as they are pushed against back tension plates 84, Figs. 9 and 10, slidably mounted on elevator table 10 to facilitate the enfolding of the half-loaves within the webs. Also during this transfer operation,v the wrapping material extending beyond the ends of the half-loaves isV and 92. These tucker blades are attached to arms 94, 88, 98 and |00 respectively, which in turn are adjustably secured in pairs to slidable brackets on shaft 12 at either side of the pivoting boss of elevator table 10. Arms 94 and 88 are attached to bracket |02, and arms 88 and |00 are attached to bracket |04. Attached to brackets'102 and |04 respectively, are plate cams 108 engaging rollers |08 carried by loose hub ||0 on shaft 12, said hub being intermittently rocked by suitable cam, not shown, through linkage 2. Plate cams |08 and |01 are urged against rollers |08 by springs. not shown, acting against the brackets |04 and |02. When the elevator table 10 is in its lower position to receive the half-loaves, the rollers |08 will have been rocked to the left, as viewed in Fig. 9, forcing the plate lcams |08 apart, thus spreading tuckers 86, 88 and 80, 92 to enable the half-loaves to enter between them. As the half-loaves enter the rollers |08 resume their former position, shown in Fig. 9, and the tucker blades move against the ends of thehalf-loaves to tuck in the wrapping material.

As the elevator table 10 swings upwardly towards its horizontal position, two pairs of nngers ||4 (Figs. 4, 9 and 10), operated by suitable connections (not shown), to the driving mechanism are moved upward into position to retain the half-loaves on the elevator table 10 and against the back tension plates 84. When table 10 has reached its horizontal position, its surface is then in the same plane as the sealing table ||8 to which the partially wrapped half-loaves are to be transferred.

During the ascent of the elevator table 10 with the partially wrapped half-loaves, additional wrapping material is drawn oi! the rolls 18 and the webs are draped overv the back sides of the half-loaves by cam controlled rollers, not shown. Referring to Fig. 4, feed rollers l i8, which are mounted in pivoting frame |20 operated by connecting link |22 from suitable mechanism as disclosed in Patent No. 2,118,513 issued May 24, 1938, to T. Jensen, are pressed against similar rollers, not shown, carried in the-edge of the elevator table 10; thus holding the webs of wrapping material between them. the feed rolls I I8 can be controlled in such manner as to rotate and feed any desired additional amount of wrapping material, or the rolls can be rotationally reversed to exert tension on the webs, or they may rotate idly. Prior to advancing thevhalf-loaves onto the sealing table ||8,

a knife |24, carried on a pivoting frame |26 actuated through link |28 by a suitable cam. not shown, functions to effect the severance of the two webs of wrapping material.

' 98 and 92.

Also during the ascent of the elevator table 10, the partially enfolded half-loaves pass between pairs of yieldingly supported top folders |30 and |82 which engage the wrapping material extending over the top edges of the half-loaves and fold it down over the tucker blades, 88, 88, The half-loaves are now in position to be moved horizontally across the sealing table by means of paired pusher arms |24 of a well known type carriedby rods |88 connecting parallel continuously driven sprocket chains |88. As the half-loaves are engaged by pusher arms |34, the retaining nngers I4 are automatically withdrawn, permitting the half-loaves to pass between pairs of plough folders |40, |42 (Figs. '4 and 9) and to slip the partly folded wrappers oil of the tucker blades 80. 88, 90 and 92. Thus v'-162 and |64.

. clined slots"|48 (Fig. 4) formed between adiacent edges of folders |40, |44 and |42, |46, and are' folded -against the ends of the half-loaves as th'e final folding operation. The fully enfolded half-loaves then continue to pairs of heated end sealers |48, |50 (Figs. 5 and 9) and 4over heated bottom Sealers |52, |54 which cause the folded overlying flaps to adhere to one an- 1 other to produce' a saled wrapper.

The inner adjacent folders are carried by a common bar |56 -suspended from cross-bars |58, |60, and the outer folders are mounted on arms I'he heatedsealers |48 and |50 are supported in-'any suitable manner and along with the folders, provision is. made for lateral adjustment to .permitpassage of. articles of less- .1er or greater lengths. j As thef'ully-wrapped and sealed half-loaves are pushed into the seal cooling unit, the ,pusher arms |34 are withdrawn and the half-.loaves arev then engaged by conveyor bar flights |66 carried between paralle1 driven sprocket chains |68 over conveyor table |10, Fig. 6. Suspended over the conveyor table are two pairs of refrigerated hollow guide-ways |12 and |14 to effect rapid cooling of the sealed wrapper ends. The inner adjacentguides are carried by frame members |16 and |18, while the outer guides are mounted on brackets |80 (Fig. 4) which in turn are carried by side-rails 82. Brackets |84 support the side-rails |82 and are mounted on threaded shafts |86 to permit lateral adjustment of the outer guides |12, |14 to accommodate articles of various lengths. Connections |88, through which the refrigerant is circulated and through fthe hollow guides |12, |14 are made of flexible material to permit lateral adjustment of the guides. For the purpose of cooling the bottom seals of the half-loaves, a refrigerated hollow member |90 with inlet |92 and outlet |94 is fastenedunderneath conveyor table 10 at the entering end.

As the half-loaves emerge from between the refrigerated guides |12, |14, they enter between converging guide-Ways |98 carried by brackets |98 which are supported by side-rails |82. During the passage of the half-loaves between the guide-ways |86, they are brought together at their inner adjacent ends as shown at E. Fig. 2, and then as a unit are transferred by oscillating arms 200 to transverse conveyor 22;.which is similar to conveyor |6 except that the flights 202 are smaller and are spaced further apart so as to receive two half-loaves as a unit. The united wrapped half-loaves are then carried to the final wrapping machine 24, where they recive the outer wrapper to form the two-inone loaf package.

'Ihe wrapping-material used in machine 24 consists of a single web of suiilcient width to cover the united half-loaves and allow enough for the end folds. The operations and mechanism required for folding and sealing are identical with those for the outer ends of the halfloaves in the duplex wrapping machine i8, with the exceptions that wrapping machine 24 does not utilize inner tuckers 88, 80,` the inner folders, and the inner hot and cold sealers.

The fully wrapped and sealed loaves emerge from wrapping machine 24 upon conveyor 26 as a finished two-in-one package.

In the foregoing the invention has been explained as applied to a bread wrapping machine constructed to wrap separately th'e two halves of a loaf of bread and then enclose the same two halves in an outside wrapping; but it is apparent that the invention is not limited to such bread wrapping or to the preliminary wrapping of only two units It can be employed, with suitable modiflcatlons and changes, obvious to those skilled in the art, in machines for preliminarily wrapping a single article or any number of units or articles and then enclosing any desired multiple of the wrapped articles in an outside wrapping. Also, instead of bread wrapping'machines, the invention is obviously capable of embodiment in machines for wrapping other articles such as, for example, cakes, cigarettes and chewing gum. The invention is, therefore, not to be construed as limited either as to construction or as to purpose except to the extent stated in the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrapping machine comprising a lifter table movable from a lower article receiving position to an upper article delivering position, two pairs of tuckers on Asaid table, mechanism for moving apart the tuckers of both pairs to receive articles and then returning them into engagement with the articles, devices for guiding a pair of wrappers into positions in front of the table and the tuckers, and means for pushing a pair of articles on the table and. between the tuckers while the tuckers are separated .whereby each of the articles will be simultaneously partially enfolded in one of the wrappers and the ends of the wrappers tucked over the ends of the articles, the return of the tuckers to unseparated position pressing the tucked Wrappers against the articles.

2. In a wrapping machine, an intermittently moved carrier, a pair of carriers for delivering two halves of a loaf in spaced apart relation to the intermittently moved carrier, a transfer table for receiving the loaf halves and raising them into alignment with separate wrapping mechanisms, a. pair of tuckers on said table for each half loaf, devices for moving both tuckers of each pair apart to receive the half loaves and then returning them to original position, a pusher for pushing each half loaf to the transfer table and between the tuckers while the tuckers are separated, means for holding a web of wrapper material in the path of each half loaf as it is push'ed on the table and between the tuckers and partially enclosing the half loaves and folding ends of the wrapper, return of the tuckers to original position pressing the folded ends of the wrappers against the half loaves, and means for thereafter completing the end folding and sealing of th'e wrappers.

3. In a wrapping machine, the combination with means for advancing a pair of articles to a predetermined station, of a lifter table movable from a lower position to an upper position, two pairs of tuckers on said lifter table, mechanism for spreading the tuckers of each pair apart to receive articles and then returning them to their original positions, means for transferring a pair of articles from the aforesaid predetermined station to the lifter table while the tuckers are spread apart, and means for guiding a pair of wrappers across the paths of the articles being transferred to the lifter table whereby each of said articles will be partially enfolded in one of said wrappers and the ends of the wrappers tucked in by the tuckers during said transfer.

4. In a wrapping machine, the combination f with means for advancing a pair of articles to a predetermined station, of a lifter table movable from a lower position to an upper position, two sets of tuckers on said lifter table, means for simultaneously delivering a pair of articles side by side from said station to said lifter table at the lower position thereof, devices for guiding a pair of wrappers across the path' of articles being delivered to said table whereby each of said articles will be partially enfolded in one of said wrappers during delivery to said lifter table and the ends of the wrapper will be tucked over the ends of the articles by the tuckers, and means for actuating the tuckers to press the wrappers against the ends of the articles.

' 5. An apparatus for separately wrapping the halves of aloaf and then reuniting the halves in a sealed outside wrapper comprising a pivoted elevator table, a pair of blocks pivoted on and shiftable laterally on the same pivot as the elevator table, a pair of tuckers having the tuckers of each pair attached to a diiferent one of said blocks, means for moving said blocks apart and then returning them to original position whereby to spread the tuckers apart and then return them to original position, means for holding a web of wrapping material across the free ends of each pair of tuckers, and means for inserting the half loaves between the tuckers while the tuckers are spread apart, whereby to cause the tuckers to partly enfold the half loaves in said webs, and means for thereafter completing the folding and sealing of the respective Wrappers.

6. An apparatus of th'e character described, comprising a bread slicing machine, guides constructed to divide the sliced loaf into halves and guiding the halves apart to a spaced relation with the two halves maintained in axial alignment as the sliced loaf is carried intofand through the guides, carrier mechanism for.

spaced apart and axially aligned relation determined by the aforesaid guides until the wrapping is completed by the wrapping machines, means for moving the two wrapped halves endwise into juxtaposition, a iinal wrapping machine for enclosing the juxtaposed halves in an outside wrapper, and a carrier mechanism for delivering the iuxtaposed halves to `and removing the wrapped unit from said final wrapping machine.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a bread slicing machine, guides constructed to divide the sliced loaf into halves and move the halves apart and in axially aligned relation when the loaf is carried into and through said guides, a carrier for carrying the sliced loaf from the slicing machine into and through said guides, a pair of wrapping mechanisms for simultaneously wrapping the sliced halves of the loaf in separate wrappers, deivces for progressing the halves sidewise to and through said wrapping mechanisms constructed to maintain the two halves of the same loaf in axial alignment and spaced apart substantially to the extent determined by the aforesaid guides, devices for moving the halves of the loaf together after the separate wrapping is completed, a final wrapping machine for enclosing the separately wrapped halves in an outside wrapper, and means for delivering the two wrapped halves as a unit to the final wrapping machine.

JOSEPH HEXTER. 

